Down the Rabbit Hole
by LetTheWookieWin
Summary: AU. Companion to 'Through the Looking Glass.' In a world where there was never a Great Prophecy, Percy Jackson's life was remarkably different. Weird things still happened, though. But maybe that's just Percy.


**AN – **I really wasn't planning on writing anything else so soon, certainly not another fanfic set in the same universe as 'Through the Looking Glass.' As far as I was concerned, the story was finished there. 'Through the Looking Glass' was only ever intended to be a one-shot. But then **ofsaltandsea **reviewed and asked about Gabe and how he would fit into the AU world I had created. And so the plot bunnies began to attack. Before I knew it, I was writing this fic. Admittedly, it took me longer to write as it was less interesting than 'Through the Looking Glass,' but I'm fairly happy with the result. My biggest regret, however, is that there's no crazy old man Nico. I couldn't find a place to squeeze him in.

If you're a new reader, I'd suggest reading 'Through the Looking Glass' first. Whilst this isn't exactly a sequel, it will make far more sense if you do read the other story.

Thanks to **ofsaltandsea **for the inspiration and everyone else who reviewed 'Through the Looking Glass.'

**Disclaimer – **Don't own.

...

Weird things had always happened to Percy Jackson. For as long as he could remember there had always been odd occurrences, little details in his life that he could not explain. For example, during his fifth birthday party, Jeff's mother had crashed her minivan through the wall, a crazed glint in her eyes. Percy could have sworn that the deranged woman had been aiming her vehicle in his direction but, to be fair, his entire childhood had been fuelled by blue food colouring and it was completely feasible to believe that the incident had been a sugar induced delusion. In any case, Sally Jackson, the secret ninja that she was, had swooped in just in the nick of time and had scooped her son out of danger. Jeff's mother's minivan had exploded into flames and her body was never recovered. Oddly enough, after the incident, no record of a child named Jeff could be found anywhere and all that remained of his mother was a pile of golden dust. Sally began to date Gabe Ugliano soon after.

Percy disliked Gabe. It seemed to be a natural reaction. The young boy was certainly no biologist, but he assumed that a natural hatred for the balding, overweight, drunken mess was an inherent instinct, the body's way of ensuring that one did not die from the overwhelming stench of body odour and mouldy pizza. He made sure to share his musings with his mother, partly in an attempt to flaunt his newfound - and short lived - logic and partly in an attempt to force the woman to ditch the unpleasant loser and date someone who actually deserved her love. Sally had just laughed and offered her son a freshly baked blue cookie. That was the first time Percy had ever experienced a burning frustration directed at his mother.

He was eight when something truly unusual occurred. The dark-haired boy had returned to his mother's - he refused to refer to it as Gabe's - small, dingy apartment after school, his bag heavy with homework. It had been a good day. There had been no inexplicable explosions, no reason to engage bullies in combat. Percy's good mood had been understandable. The aforementioned mood, however, had vanished rapidly when he entered the apartment and was greeted by the sight of his mother sobbing at the kitchen table, her head buried in her hands. He had been distraught. Sally Jackson was an everlasting ray of pure sunshine and to see her as anything other than radiant was utterly soul-destroying. Percy's faith in the universe had been rocked completely. Upon looking back on the incident, Percy would be consumed by a blazing rage. At eight, however, naivety had blinded him to the most important detail of the scene: the glaring red hand-print on the side of his mother's face.

Sally and Percy had received an interesting visitor that night. It had been late and Percy certainly should not have been eavesdropping on his mother but, like the doting son he was, he was concerned about her earlier breakdown. With Gabe out for the night, the young boy had opted to lurk in the hallway, just to ensure that he was available should his mother need comfort. He was in the perfect position, therefore, to overhear the bizarre conversation.

"He _hit_ you, Sally!"

The man's voice was deep and throaty. Rough with age but still strong and confident. Despite the tremor of fury in the tone, the voice was soothing to Percy, washing over him like gentle waves.

"I know."

"Then why, in the name of all twelve Olympians, have you not packed up and left yet!"

"He's keeping us safe."

"He _hit_ you! I should smite him!"

"Yes, but his scent is masking Percy's. We're safe with him."

Percy blinked. He must smell worse than he had originally thought if his mother had resorted to using _Gabe_ to cover up his stench. It was mildly insulting.

"I can keep you safe! Come with me. Live in my realm. You'll be treated as a queen and Percy shall never want for anything."

"You and I both know that your wife would be furious if we did so," Sally sighed, "I love you, Poseidon, I always have. But Percy and I don't belong in your realm and I refuse to be the other woman in your relationship."

Poseidon? Percy snorted and rolled his eyes. Who would name their child Poseidon? Despite his ridiculous name, however, the young boy approved of the newcomer. Anyone who wished to smite Smelly Gabe was alright in his book.

"Sally, you were always far more than just the 'other woman' to me. Please do not ever believe otherwise. If I were any other being, I would stay with you and Percy."

"But you're not any other being and Percy's not any other boy. It is my duty to keep him safe, Poseidon. Gabe is our best protection."

"I refuse to believe that."

The sudden rhythmic thump of footsteps informed Percy that his mother's companion had begun to pace restlessly.

"I have a plan," murmured Poseidon, "but it is risky and there is the very likely danger of enraging my brothers."

He stopped pacing.

"You must leave this...cretin you call a boyfriend. At the current moment in time, there is no danger of Percy being attacked. Nearly every creature in the vicinity is chasing down a daughter of Zeus and one of Athena's brats. It is unlikely that they will pay much attention to Percy. For now, however, I will give the boy my blessing. No monster shall find him until his sixteenth birthday."

Monsters? Percy frowned and shifted closer to the door. What on earth was the stranger talking about? Why did his mother attract all the weirdoes?

"You can do that?"

"Of course, Sally. Do not forget who I actually am."

"I could never forget, but I thought that you weren't allowed to interfere in our lives?"

"That is why there's a risk of angering my brothers. However, Zeus has broken the rule to assist his daughter. I shall do the same for Percy, consequences be damned."

"Thank you."

"There is no need to thank me, Sally. The duty of protecting Percy is not yours to solely bear. He is my-"

The sudden slam of the front door cut off Poseidon, much to Percy's chagrin. The boy did not dwell on his vexation for long, however. The slamming of the door could only mean one thing. Percy's eyes widened and a tremor of apprehension wracked his body. Gabe was home.

"Sally, I - What the hell is this? Who's this guy?"

Gabe's words were slurred and with a sinking sensation, Percy swiftly came to the conclusion that the man was completely and utterly drunk. From the smell, it would appear that Gabe had in fact been marinating in a vat of cheap beer for the last five hours.

"He's just a friend, Gabe."

"Well, you two look _real_ friendly. Are you cheating on me, Sally?"

"Gabe, you're drunk. Just go to bed and we'll talk in the morning."

"Don't tell me what to do, you stupid bitch!" yelled Gabe, "I asked you a question and I expect an answer!"

"HOLD YOUR TONGUE, MORTAL!"

For a moment, Percy had completely forgotten that Poseidon was present. He cowered behind the door as the man's voice bellowed in anger. The water in his fish-tank began to vibrate rapidly, almost as if it could sense the tension in the air.

"You are not worthy of the attention of this woman!" roared Poseidon, "she is a goddess among mortals and you should be grateful to even _breathe_ the same air as her!"

"Look, pal," slurred Gabe, "I don't know who you think you are but-"

"I am _not_ your _pal_! No being shall _ever_ speak in such a way to Sally, certainly not an overweight worm such as yourself! Sally Jackson shall be the last woman you _ever_ lay a hand on, bottom dweller!"

Percy never saw Smelly Gabe again after that night. Occasionally, he would wonder what had happened to the disgusting human being. Had Poseidon murdered him? Had his mother covered up the crime by driving out to the desert and burying the body? Ultimately, however, Percy found that he did not really care. As far as he was concerned, life was far sweeter, and the air a great deal cleaner, without Gabe Ugliano. His fish-tank had also gained a new occupant after that night in the form of a large, rotund goldfish with wide, bulging eyes. Percy was not entirely certain _where_ the fish had come from but it seemed to despise him with a passion. Every time the boy passed the tank, the fish would glare at him with thinly concealed hatred. It was baffling but Percy decided not to question it. He had not even realised that fish were _able_ to glare.

Poseidon had also disappeared. Percy found himself oddly disappointed, he would have liked to meet the man face to face. It was strange, the more he thought about his mother's encounter with the man, the less he could remember about the conversation. There was a niggling suspicion in the back of his mind that important facts had been revealed and, to his great frustration, he could not remember a single thing. It irked him.

On a more positive note, however, with a distinct lack of Smelly Gabe in her life, Sally had found herself with far more freedom and was infinitely happier as a result. She had rediscovered her love of writing, something that had thrilled her son, and had begun to attend evening classes at the local college. It was at such a class that she met Paul Blofis.

"Paul _Blowfish_?" asked the nine year-old Percy incredulously, "who is he and why is he coming for dinner?"

"Blo_fis_, Percy," smiled Sally, placing three plates on the table before turning to face her son, "and he's just a friend. He's a lovely man. I'm sure you two will get along."

Percy frowned and crossed his arms doubtfully, eyeing his mother with suspicion.

"You like him," stated the young boy, his eyes narrowing, "like, _like_ like him."

"There were an awful lot of 'likes' in that sentence," blushed Sally, artfully attempting to change the subject, "and he's my friend. Of course I like him."

"_Like_ like him?"

Percy was certainly not the most observant child in the world, but his mother's dazed and dreamy behaviour was extremely out of character. He did not have to be Sherlock Holmes to come to a conclusion concerning her true feelings towards this Blowfish person. Sally did not respond but blushed again and motioned for Percy to place the knives and forks on the table. Percy did so, albeit grudgingly.

Despite his misgivings, however, the evening went smoothly, much to Percy's surprise and Sally's relief. Paul had accepted the presence of the nine year-old with apparent ease and the boy found the man to be pleasant company. Also, he smelled far better than Gabe, so that was a plus. Paul did not even question the blue meatloaf Sally had served, instead choosing to grin at the expression of sheer joy on Percy's face upon catching sight of the abnormal meal. As soon as he offered to teach Percy a few duelling moves after dinner, however, the boy had accepted Paul unconditionally. The man could sword fight, for Gods' sakes. Clearly, he was far cooler than Smelly Gabe.

"You ready, Percy?" asked Paul, twirling his makeshift weapon, Sally's umbrella, in a slightly awkward fashion.

"Absolutely," nodded Percy, gripping a baseball bat, a determined expression plastered across his features, "I can't believe you know how to sword fight. Do you know how _cool_ that is?"

"I was a thespian at one point in my life," sniffed Paul, "we dabbled somewhat in the art of sword play."

Percy frowned and swung the bat carelessly.

"Isn't that a type of lizard?"

"No, Percy," laughed Sally from the couch, "a thespian is just a fancy name for an actor."

"Wow, Paul, you're such a snob."

"A snob?" The man in question gasped in an exaggerated fashion and raised his umbrella, pointing the 'weapon' at his young opponent. "Perseus Jackson! Thou has offended me greatly. Ready thyself for battle and prepare for thy doom! En garde!"

Percy laughed and clumsily parried the gentle swipe. Needless to say, the boy did not develop as a master swordsman under Paul's tutelage. Paul Blofis, talented actor he may have been, but he was certainly no musketeer. However, over the years Percy did develop an odd love/hate relationship with one William Shakespeare as a result of Paul's influence. Admittedly, he had difficulty reading the actual texts, partly due to his dyslexia and partly due to the fact that his school did not offer a Ye Olde English class, but learned to appreciate the humour and wit hidden behind the old language. He also appreciated the fact that, despite being hailed in schools worldwide as revered teaching materials, most of Shakespeare's work was in fact incredibly dirty. Of course, he would not realise this until his teenage years, but many hours in the future would be spent laughing with Grover at thinly veiled sexual references. After all, as Lady Artemis would later point out, Percy was still a boy. Nothing would amuse him more than discussing thinly veiled sexual references as part of the school curriculum. Good old Shakespeare. He always knew how to please an audience.

Sally and Paul's relationship gradually grew more serious over the next few years and Percy, despite his admiration for Paul, was mildly concerned. Slowly but surely, Paul was encroaching into their lives. His toothbrush appeared in their bathroom, tins of his favourite ravioli were stocked in their kitchen and his shoes found a place in the hallway closet. It was only when he was thirteen; however, after returning from the bathroom during the middle of the night and accidentally bumping into to Paul, did Percy truly begin to worry. He was not stupid and he was not naive. He knew _exactly_ why Paul was in his apartment at an ungodly hour and the conclusion did not please him in the slightest. To some extent, Percy understood that his mother's relationship was by no means innocent but, until that particular point in time, she and Paul had been incredibly discreet. Bumping into Paul had prompted the unpleasant realisation that there was a very real possibility that he may not be the only Jackson child for very much longer. Once he had overcome his initial disgust, the thought terrified him. He had been Sally's whole world for thirteen years and the idea of sharing her devotion with another child was completely alien. The only reason Percy had accepted Paul with such ease was because the teacher made Sally happy and the boy knew that the love his mother had for Paul was different than the love she had for him. A baby, however, was competition. And this baby would fit in with the family Sally and Paul were building. It would be the best parts of both of them. Percy was just a piece of his mother and part of some man he had never met. He was an outdated toy and he did not blame his mother for wanting a newer model. Sally, of course, informed him that he was an idiot. Admittedly, in far more polite terms, but the general feel of the insult was glaringly present in the conversation.

"Percy, Paul and I aren't planning on having a baby anytime soon," she said, smiling soothingly at her distraught son, "and even if we did take that next step, the baby would not take your place in this family."

"Can you promise that?" asked Percy, wanting desperately to believe his mother's words but needing some sort of comfort, "because I get that you and Paul are trying to build a family and-"

"We're not trying to build a family," interrupted Sally, "we already HAVE a family. You, me and Paul."

"But if you guys have a kid, he or she will only be my half-brother or sister. I'd be a half-family member."

"Percy, that doesn't even make sense. Just because they'd be your half-sibling doesn't make you a half-family member. Family is not defined by blood but rather by love. I love you, Paul loves you and, if there ever is a baby, they'll love you too."

"Did my dad love me?"

The question had surprised Percy. He had never asked about his biological father before and was not entirely sure where the query had come from. Judging from the expression on Sally's face, she too had been caught off guard. Nevertheless, she had promised herself that she would never lie to Percy on the subject of his father.

"Yes, he did."

"Then where is he?"

"Percy," sighed Sally, "sometimes, relationships don't work. Sometimes people grow out of them; sometimes bigger things get in the way. Your father had a lot of responsibilities, responsibilities that he couldn't ignore."

"So he left us?" There was a quiver of anger in Percy's tone and Sally smiled sadly.

"He didn't want to," she responded, "when you were born, he took one look at your tiny face and refused to leave. But other people needed him more than we did and he eventually had to return home. My heart broke a little that day."

"Mom..."

"But I'm not angry at him," Sally wiped away a small tear, "and you shouldn't be either. Your father gave me the greatest gift I could have ever asked for: you. I owe him everything for that."

Percy bit his lip and launched himself at his mother, wrapping his spindly arms around her in a crushing embrace.

"Thanks, mom. For everything."

"There's nothing to thank me for. I love you, Percy, and one day you're going to do great things. You'll be a big brother our hypothetical baby can be proud of."

"Do you think I'll ever meet my dad?"

"I think your dad would break every law in the universe for a chance to meet you."

"Whoa, he doesn't have to go _that_ far. I'd settle for a phone call."

"I'm not sure he has a phone."

"...my dad just became infinitely less cool."

By his sixteenth birthday, Paul had moved into their apartment. If Percy was being entirely honest, life did not change a great deal. Paul had practically lived in their apartment anyway so the move seemed fairly pointless. What was not pointless, however, was what the man had requested during Percy's sixteenth birthday party.

"Hey, Perce," grinned Paul, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair as he cornered Percy by the snack table, "can I talk to you?"

Percy nodded through a mouthful of sausage roll and followed his mother's boyfriend into a more private area of the apartment, carefully dodging around guests. Paul pulled Percy into the master bedroom and began to pace. Percy blinked in confusion and swallowed his mouthful of food.

"What's up, man?"

"I, um, need to ask you something." Paul suddenly seemed incredibly nervous and a pool of dread settled in Percy's stomach.

"You're kind of freaking me out a little bit, Paul. Is everything alright?"

"Absolutely. I mean, this is one of the most nerve-wracking questions I've ever had to ask, but I'm okay."

Paul stopped pacing, turned to face Percy and pulled a small velvet jewellery box out of his trouser pocket. Percy, being the dense young man that he was, completely misunderstood Paul's intention.

"Are you proposing to me?" he squeaked in horror, "no! No, no, no! You love my mom! Were you just using her? I'll kick your ass, Paul! I swear to God-"

"Percy!" Paul's eyes were wide as he struggled to gain the boy's attention, "I'm not proposing to _you!_ I'm going to ask your mom to marry me!"

Percy froze, mid-threat.

"What?"

"I love Sally, Perce, and if she agreed to marry me, I'd be the luckiest guy alive. But no matter what, you come first, both for her and for me. Your mom won't say yes unless you're onboard and, if I'm being entirely honest, I wouldn't feel right about asking unless I knew you were okay with the idea."

Percy sighed in relief and grinned sheepishly at Paul. He was touched by the man's concern and, not for the first time, marvelled at how different the teacher was from Smelly Gabe. He was a good match for Sally. Besides, it was not as if Percy's life was going to change drastically as a result of the union. Paul had been with his mother for nearly seven years. The marriage would just make their relationship official.

"Paul, you've been in my life since I was nine. If I really had a problem with you, I probably would have let you know by now. As for marrying my mom, well, she could do a lot worse. I think the only one who would object to your proposal is my fish, but he hates everyone."

"Yeah," frowned Paul, "I noticed. I didn't even know fish could glare until I met yours."

"Sushi's not the friendliest fish on the planet," admitted Percy, "I don't know why my mom bought him. He's unpleasant, fat and smells awful. Clearly not the best companion."

"Maybe he hates you because you named him 'Sushi'?" Paul suggested, shaking his head in amusement, "but does this mean that you're onboard with the whole marriage thing?"

Percy jolted out of his musings on the subject of his fish and grinned at Paul.

"Yeah. Make her happy, man. But if you hurt her, I'll kick your ass."

"Please. I think your mother would beat you to it."

"Well, I'll kick your ass after she does, then. It'll be a double whammy."

"I can live with that."

Percy returned to school the next morning, considerably cheerier than the night before. This was partly due to Paul's plan to propose and partly due to the fact that it was his first official day as a sixteen year-old. Unfortunately for Percy, however, his sixteenth year of life came with an unpleasant side effect. Poseidon's blessing had become null and every monster in New York had caught his scent and had set a direct course for his school. Fortunately for Percy, however, Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood had chosen that particular day to enrol. Naturally, shenanigans ensued.

"What the hell is that thing?"

Percy winced at the screechy pitch of his voice. Admittedly, he _was_ trapped in the Gym with an unconscious boy and a strange blonde girl, who seemed to be fighting an enormous, slavering, flesh-devouring monster with a crutch. He decided that he was entitled to panic.

"A hellhound," the girl grunted, poking the slavering beast in the eye with her makeshift weapon, wincing as it snarled in protest, "y'know, the massive, bloodthirsty hounds that guard Tartarus?"

"Tar tar sauce?"

"Tartarus! Zeus, are you always such a Seaweed Brain?"

Seaweed Brain? _Really?_ Ridiculous insults aside, Percy had a horrible feeling that his life was about to become incredibly bizarre. Of course, he was right. But then, weird things had always happened to Percy Jackson. Maybe it was time he altered his view of reality. It would make life somewhat easier.

Or not. He _was_ a demigod, after all.

...

**AN – **And there we have it folks. How Percy's life was affected by the lack of prophecy.

I'm actually really tempted to write a sequel. Not a proper story, but a collection of one-shots set in this universe. I can imagine Percy, Annabeth and Crazy Old Man Nico having some insane adventures at Camp. I'm also kind of tempted to write something about Thalia and Annabeth on the run. I'm not sure yet. Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed and please shoot me a review if you liked it.


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